Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

We can always rely on the good and generous Senator Mason for some entertainment, and he has indeed concluded his remarks on that basis. I will have to add to my review of the budget debate in the Senate this week, against Senator Mason’s name, the words ‘cheap commentary’. I will, when I get to it, spend a bit of time reviewing the nature and the quality of the contributions from the other side in relation to the budget, the serious economic circumstances that we are currently dealing with, and their lack of any reference to credible economic commentary. Not one commentator of any credibility has been relied upon by the opposition in the scare campaign, as Senator Arbib called it, that is currently occurring.

For those outside of the Senate, I think it would be useful to enlighten them on the nature of this scare campaign. I am sure they have heard some of the rhetoric and seen some of the news reports, but they may not be aware of the fact that every time you walk past a coalition senator’s office you encounter a poster with a reference to the ‘debt bomb’. The poster, neatly put up on each coalition senator’s window, reads: ‘Labor’s debt bomb: Australians are now playing the price for Labor’s reckless spending’.

When I took the opportunity to speak today—alas, it was not possible for me to speak yesterday—I was grateful for the chance to add some perspective to this debate. There is a serious need for some clear and rational economic perspective in the discussion on what is occurring here, and I will take some time to go through some of that detail. At the outset let me say that I think there is a very severe contrast between the Treasurer’s commentary here and what we are hearing from the opposition. From individual opposition backbench senators entering the debate in the Senate chamber, right up to Mr Hockey and his responses—which Senator Arbib referred to before—there is inconsistency, scare campaigning and an absolute lack of any credible economic support.